MFT ESSENTIAL GUIDE CLASS 2021 - for San Diego State University PHILOSOPHY, ADMINISTRATION AND CURRICULUM
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Essential Guide Class 2021
MFT
ESSENTIAL GUIDE
for
CLASS 2021
San Diego State University
PHILOSOPHY, ADMINISTRATION AND CURRICULUM
1Essential Guide Class 2021
I. INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this handbook is to provide pertinent information to guide
students through the COAMFTE 1 Accredited Master of Science in Counseling with a
concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy. The student should refer to the Bulletin
of the Graduate Division for general university and graduate school policies and
procedures. This handbook also does not replace the advisor-advisee relationship.
Both the faculty advisor and student should maintain consistent and frequent contact to
monitor the student’s progress through the program.
II. PROGRAM MISSION, PHILOSOPHY, GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES
Mission
Prepare students to practice as competent entry level MFT professionals,
capable of ethically applying relational/systemic and social constructionist ideas and
practices to meet the needs of today’s intercultural society.
Philosophy
The MFT program is founded on the beliefs that: (a) individuals, couples, and
families live within a variety of intersecting social contexts and (b) they respond to the
struggles with increasingly complex issues, stressful events, and sociocultural,
economic, geographical, physiological and political factors that constrain achieving
successful social participation and connections. Family therapists as service providers
of our local communities, need specialized training and approaches for addressing
relational problems that emerge from these factors.
The MFT program recognizes that all views of human interactions are subjective
and are shaped by our physiological experience within cultural and historical contexts,
as well as our social locations given our language, sexual orientation, gender
expressions, social class, race, ethnicity, nationality, body abilities, religion, spirituality,
and age etc. Thus, all therapeutic approaches are “maps” of human interactions,
contexts and change rather than the “actual territory” (Korzybski, 1921) of knowable,
objective facts. This program introduces students to a range of approaches to practice
reflecting the individual (linear) and relational (systemic) ways of knowing and
centralizes a relational perspective for theory and clinical skill development. A new
addition to our program includes the study of scholarship and research on the
1
COAMFTE is the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education.
2Essential Guide Class 2021
body/brain in social science research and its connection to the language of feelings,
intentions, and choices. We explore the study of bodily responses, feeling practices,
neuro-biological stress responses, and other experiences that reside beyond linguistic
domains.
The program training is guided by a philosophy that incorporates the following
values and beliefs:
● A relational/systemic and social constructionist metaphor that regards all
descriptions of human interactions as subjective, contextual, and emerging from
social interaction and meaning-making.
● Intercultural/cross-cultural development that invites an examination of
understandings of difference, language, history, and power and their effects in
people’s lives and their relationships. It also invites critical examination of the
paradigms of family therapy within their geo-cultural contexts so as to introduce
alternative proposals to add to the current eurocentric ones. The program advances
the ability to address these factors in therapy and other relationships.
● A community focus to prepare for serving underserved and poorly served
populations.
● Social responsibility to consider the therapist’s role in relation to social contribution,
impact, and leadership for change in mental health systems.
● Personal growth to support the exploration of one’s own storied life, consider the
effects of experiences in social relationships, therapeutic relationships, and open
oneself to new personal and social interactions,physiology, emotional experiences,
and perspectives.
● Promotion of linguistic rights of Spanish-English therapists so they receive training in
both languages and advance their knowledges and skills bilingually (through class
instruction, supervision and practice).
Program Outcomes:
1. Students and graduates demonstrate ethics, knowledge and practice of the MFT
discipline fulfilling requirements for MFT California State licensure required by the Board
of Behavioral Sciences (BBS).
2. Students demonstrate competency in delivering MFT professional services to diverse
and underserved communities.
3. Students demonstrate understanding of and ability to apply research and scholarship
to MFT practice.
3Essential Guide Class 2021
General degree requirements:
1. The Official Program of Study for the M.S. degree in Counseling with a specialization
in MFT requires 60 credit hours of coursework.
2. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA and must achieve no lower than a C grade in
each class.
3. The clinical experience component of the program requires that students complete a
minimum of 500 direct clinical hours plus 100 hours of supervision (50 of which should
be of direct observation). Supervision must be received from an AAMFT supervisor or
AAMFT supervisor candidate) for at least one hour each week in which they are seeing
clients. Of the 500 client contact hours, a minimum of 200 must be relational hours (i.e.
therapy with couples and families). Another 100 hours of the 500 total may be
alternative hours, which are case-related or clinically relevant work that is not direct
therapy. More information on practicum requirements and clinical hours is included
below.
Registration for courses
● For Summer, Fall and Spring semesters, students receive two sets of
registration material:
● From the Graduate Division, students receive general registration information
and a Reg-line time and date;
● From the MFT Program Director or Graduate Assistant, students receive their
individual courses and scheduling information via email;
● Summer school registration information is distributed via e-mail and is not
individualized, with the exception of registration for clinical experience,
Practicum and Traineeship.
Fees and Fee Refunds
Please see the Bulletin of the Graduation Division for University fees and fee
policies.
III. CURRICULUM AND PROGRAM OF STUDY (Note: additional information is
found on the MFT Blackboard Homeroom)
The curriculum is designed to offer experiences in personal growth, clinical
4Essential Guide Class 2021
theory and ethical and culturally responsive practice development, and foundational
research required for building complex clinical skills. A relational/systemic and social
constructionist approaches to therapy organize the themes of the curriculum. The
traditional heart of the field of MFT lies in a systemic and relational framework where
human interactions are shaped by the relational dynamics occurring in familial contexts.
Families function within system where every member of the family system influences
and impacts on every other member of the system. Our bodies/brains, behavior,
cognition and affect are all at play in relational work and all of those dimensions need to
be attended to in therapy.
Social constructionism (Gergen, 2009) holds that all knowledge evolves through
the social interaction and meaning-making of language, culture, experience, and history.
Thus, “knowledge” is not about “learning the truth” but rather about subjective
perspectives or descriptions that emerge out of social contexts. Models/approaches to
therapy do not provide objective, “real” pictures of human behavior, just useful, helpful
descriptions.
What this means for our curriculum is that we invite students to consider the
knowledge and learning experiences for their effects on ourselves, our clients and social
contexts at large. While all courses put social interaction, contexts and relationship
dynamics at the center of human experience, courses (and instructors) will reflect
different perspectives within that frame. These different perspectives provide the basis
for students to gain a strong theoretical knowledge and deliver a practical application of
an MFT theory by the end of the program.
Courses interweave the following themes:
● Intercultural development
● Social constructionist-relational vantage point
● Developmental view of behavior
● Larger social context/systems
● Integration of neuroscience brain physiology, adult attachment theory and
affective studies
A. Curriculum:
Courses that must be completed:
ED 690 Methods of Inquiry (3)
CSP 600 Cross-Cultural Counseling Communication Skills (2)
CSP 600L Cross-Cultural Counseling Pre-practicum (1) Cr/NC
CSP 609 Family Life Cycle Development (3)
5Essential Guide Class 2021
CSP 615 Seminar in Multicultural Dimensions in Counseling (3)
CSP 606A Professional Issues in Mental Health Practice: California Law and Ethics for
Marriage and Family Therapy (3)
CSP 618 Mental Health Recovery and the DSM: A Social Justice Perspective (3)
CSP 625 Theories of Marriage and Family Therapy & Best Practices I (3)
CSP 626 Marriage & Family Therapy Theories & Best Practices II (3)
CSP 635 Sexuality and Intimacy in Couple and Family Therapy (2)
CSP 650 Trauma and Crisis Counseling in Multicultural Community Context (3)
CSP 662A Counseling Interventions with Children and Adolescents: Marriage and
Family Therapy (3)
CSP 670 Theory and Process of Group Counseling (3)
CSP 692 Couples Therapy and Evidence-Based Relational Practices (3)
CSP 694 Psychopharmacology for Marriage and Family Therapists (3)
In addition, students must complete clinical courses:
ONE CSP 755 Practicum I: Marriage and Family Therapy (3) Cr/NC
ONE CSP 765 Practicum II: Marriage and Family Therapy (3) Cr/NC
AT LEAST ONE CSP 785 Marriage and Family Therapy Traineeship (2) Cr/NC
TWO CSP 785 Marriage and Family Therapy Traineeship (3) Cr/NC
For the culminating experience in year 2 students must complete:
CSP 710A Professional Seminar (3)
CSP 710B Professional Seminar (3)
All students must complete the Capstone Experience requirements, which constitutes
the Final Exam graduation requirement for the MS degree. The CSP 710A: Professional
Seminar: Master’s Research Project is completed in the Fall semester of year two and
CSP 710B: Professional Seminar: Presentation of Clinical Practice is completed in the
Spring semester of year two.
This is how the courses are organized, by semester:
Y1: Summer
6Essential Guide Class 2021
CSP 600 Cross-cultural Counseling
CSP 600 L Cross-cultural Counseling- Lab
CSP 606 A Law and Ethics
CSP 609 Family Life Cycle Development
CSP 625 MFT Theories I
Y1: Fall
CSP 615 Multicultural Counseling
CSP 626 Theories of MFT II
Substance Abuse Treatment &
CSP 687 Motivational Interviewing
Interventions with Children &
CSP 662A Adolescents
CSP 755 Beg Practicum
Y1: Spring
CSP 618 Mental Health Recovery & DSM
CSP 765 Adv Practicum
CSP 650 Crisis and Trauma
CSP 670 Group Process and Counseling
Y2: Summer
ED 690 Methods of Inquiry
CSP 785 (2 Optional: Traineeship/Adv
units) Practicum
Y2: Fall
CSP 710 A Master's Project: Research
CSP 785 (3) Traineeship/Adv Practicum
CSP 692 Couples Therapy
7Essential Guide Class 2021
Y2: Spring
CSP 635 Sex & Intimacy
CSP 694 Psychopharmacology
Clinical Presentation of chosen
CSP 710 B Theory of Therapy
CSP 785 (3) Traineeship/Adv Practicum
Y3: Summer
CSP 785 (2 Traineeship/Adv Practicum
units) (required if 2 units of 785 was not
completed during summer of
YR2. Also required if 500 clinical
hours are not yet completed)
In order to complete the 500 clinical hour requirement all students must complete
a 12 month three semester CSP 785 sequence. This is normally completed in
students’ second year. This 12 - 12.5 month sequence is a requirement to meet
the COAMFTE Version 12 clinical hours requirements. Thus, it is reasonable to
expect that the program may take 2.5 years to complete for a sizable number of
students.
The sequence can either involve enrolling in a CSP 785 (2) class in the summer
immediately following the first year of study and then enrolling in a CSP 785 (3) class in
the Fall and a CSP 785 (3) class in the Spring and then graduate in May.
Alternatively, some students may not enroll in CSP 785 in the summer semester
immediately following their first year of study. Instead they will enroll in the CSP 785 Fall
and Spring semester sequence in their second year of study and then complete their
summer semester CSP 785 advanced practicum/traineeship in their third summer
semester and graduate in August.
In part these sequences will depend on the kind of advanced practicum/traineeship
available to students. In many cases if students cannot complete their 500 hours they
may have to enroll in four semesters of CSP 785 to complete graduation requirements.
8Essential Guide Class 2021
When completing traineeship/advanced practicum requirements, students must always
be enrolled in a CSP 785 class.
B. Bilingual Spanglish Track
Students who have an intermediate-advanced oral linguistic proficiency in the Spanish
language can participate in a Spanish/Spanglish speaking training track in the MFT
program. This track seeks to prepare MFT’s with the theoretical, cultural and linguistic
skills required to conduct therapy in Spanish/Spanglish. Students who complete all
requirements will be awarded a Certificate of Completion in Spanish/Spanglish
Language in Therapy by the Department of Counseling & School Psychology. [This
certificate does not show on the student’s official transcript].
Certificate requirements
Students will be required to complete a brief oral and written test to determine their
linguistic proficiency. Students approved to commence the training track will participate
in course work and clinical delivery in Spanish/Spanglish. They will be supervised by a
Spanish speaking supervisor. Students must successfully complete 13 units of
coursework in Spanish speaking clinical work to receive the Spanish/Spanglish
Language in Therapy Certificate.
When there are sufficient numbers of Spanish/Spanglish speaking students in the
cohort to enable the class experience to be delivered in Spanish/Spanglish, the
following courses should be available for Spanish/Spanglish tutelage:
Cross-Cultural Counseling
CSP 600 L (1) Prepracticum
Practicum I: Marriage and Family
CSP 755 (3) Therapy
Practicum II: Marriage and
CSP 765 (3) Family Therapy
Marriage and Family Therapy
CSP 785 (3) Traineeship ( FALL
Marriage and Family Therapy
CSP 785 (3) Traineeship (SPRING
C. Transfers, waivers of credits:
1. Up to nine (9) credit hours of relevant graduate coursework may be
transferred to the M.S. degree program from another university, with the condition that
9Essential Guide Class 2021
these credit hours were not part of the requirement for another completed degree.
These courses must be equivalent in content to courses in the SDSU MFT curriculum.
The Program Director or the students’ advisor, in consultation with the Program
Director, assesses the relevance of the coursework. No coursework is accepted from
non-accredited institutions.
2. Under certain circumstances coursework taken at another university may
qualify for a waiver from taking an equivalent course in the MFT program. However, a
waiver requires replacement of the course with another approved course or courses of
equivalent credit hours.
3. If a course being considered for waiver was taken more than seven (7) years
prior to the anticipated date of graduation from the MFT program, the student must be
able to demonstrate up-to-date knowledge and competence in the area.
4. All transfer of credits and waivers must be approved and documented by the
Graduate Advisor who is the Director of the MFT Program.
5. No coursework may be utilized from other completed degree programs.
6. Advisors will not approve a waiver, if it risks a student’s eligibility for licensure
or compliance with COAMFTE standards.
IV. CLINICAL PREPARATION
The clinical training component of the MFT program is viewed as the “heart” of
the program. It is intended to be a rich and rigorous experience and to meet the BBS
standards for licensure eligibility and COAMFTE accreditation standards.
A. Clinical experience hours requirement
As stated above, all students in the MFT program must complete 500 direct
clinical hours of experience and 100 hours of supervision prior to graduation as defined
by COAMFTE accreditation standards. “Clinical experience” means direct, in-person
contact with individuals, couples, families, and group (group is optional) for the purpose
of providing psychotherapy. Two hundred (200) hours must be relational hours, i.e.
multiple members of clients related to each other in the room. One hundred (100) of the
500 hours may be alternative but related activity, such as conducting parent education
groups or systemic consultation. All practice and supervision must be grounded in a
10Essential Guide Class 2021
relational/systemic understanding of problem situations. Students must spend a
minimum of 12 consecutive months in clinical training and complete 3 semesters of
CSP 785. Students must receive a minimum of 100 hours of supervision, consisting of
both individual and group supervision. Supervision must be received from an AAMFT
supervisor (or candidate) for at least one hour each week in which they are seeing
clients. Fifty (50) of the 100 hours must be via methods that access the live data of
therapy, such as live, videotaped/DVD, and audio taped supervision, with 25 of the 50
being via live or videotape/DVD.
While the BBS only requires 225 direct clinical hours and 30 hours of supervision
during the degree program, the SDSU program is following COAMFTE standards.
There are some differences between the specific requirements of COAMFTE and the
BBS.
In order to understand the requirements and the context for the hours required to
meet the BBS MFT licensing bodies requirements please review this document titled
Important Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for Associate Marriage & Family
Therapists & MFT Trainees The M.S. degree program is regarded as introductory
preparation for MFT practice. The faculty assumes that becoming a competent
practitioner requires participation in additional training and workshops, at the trainee,
associate, and licensed levels. Opportunities are provided during the program to attend
training outside of the university. Students are encouraged to become involved in
additional training, professional conferences, and professional organizations.
B. Practicum and Traineeship coursework
The core clinical experience component of the program requires completion of a
minimum of thirteen (13) academic units that are divided into two separate components:
six (6) units of Practicum (CSP 755 and 765) (two semesters) and a minimum of three
Traineeship CSP 785 classes made up of a total of eight (8) units. Students register for
CSP 785 courses each additional semester in Traineeship until completing the 500
hours with successful evaluations. No clinical experience may be counted that is not
approved and under the oversight of the University/Program through registration in a
clinical experience course.
To begin Practicum (CSP 755) in the Fall of the first year, students must gain a
CREDIT GRADE in CSP 600L in the First Summer prior to the Fall semester begins.
The practicum meets once a week for a four-hour block of time during which time
students will provide systemic therapy, in English or Spanish/Spanglish, if applicable,
with individuals, couples, and families and receive live supervision. The setting for the
Practicum is the Center for Community Counseling & Engagement. Students are part of
11Essential Guide Class 2021
a Practicum team and see clients from the San Diego community under the supervision
of licensed MFT faculty. Supervisors are AAMFT Approved Supervisors, or Approved
Supervisors Candidates, as required by COAMFTE accreditation standards.
During Traineeship, the second stage of the clinical experience, students provide
therapy and other mental health services in an approved community site, receive
supervision at the field site, and attend a weekly supervision group at the university.
Students must complete a minimum of two semesters of Practicum (CSP 755 & CSP
765) with a CREDIT GRADE before enrolling in Traineeship. Students may enroll in a
Traineeship as early as the summer of their first year if they have meet requirements.
Students are to regard this clinical experience as a job and maintain the reliability and
professionalism required in an employment situation. Under the Traineeship, students
contract with a community placement for 15-25 hours a week of on-site (not client
contact) time. The Traineeship provides an opportunity to work at a community-based
site with an expanded number and variety of client situations and to become familiar
with community based mental health provider settings. Students also can pursue
interests with particular client populations.
All hours of experience earned in a community-based site must be under the
oversight of the university program. Students, who are in job or volunteer situations that
may qualify for hours towards licensure or graduation, may not count clinical hours
unless the site and experience meet program requirements for approved sites and
approved agency-based and university-based supervision. This requirement also
means that the student must enroll in approved MFT coursework and have an assigned
program supervisor for any semester during which they earn clinical experience hours.
Students need to complete two summer semesters and a Fall and Spring semester in
their traineeship year to meet requirements. It is common for students to graduate in
August of their second year.
Students can attend specific camps delivering mental health services to children
and families operating under an SDSU Service Learning Agreement
Guidelines for counting camp hours accredited towards 500 hours
Trainees working in camps to accrue hours toward their 500 hours required by the
SDSU MFT Program, MUST:
a] Be supervised at the actual camp site by an AAMFT supervisor affiliated with
the MFT Program or the AAMFT supervisor who is affiliated with our designated
Traineeship sites and/or able to consult with an AAMFT supervisor while the camp is
taking place in real time.
12Essential Guide Class 2021
b] Must be conducting therapy for the therapy hours to count. For example, BBS
states that for MFT trainees to gain hours (pg.32) a trainee can only be credited with
supervised experience if trainees are "Lawfully and regularly providing mental health
counseling or psychotherapy." Thus trainees must be working within the MFT
discipline's Scope of Practice. Examples of this activity include working with children
suffering loss/grief, parents with a terminal illness, anxiety issues, working with family
dynamics etc.
c] Relational hours must be with sibling units, significant other relationships such
as family members and long-standing peer connections when relational problems exist
between them.
d] No more than 100 hours (relational, individual, or alternative) earned in camps
can be counted towards the 500 hours required by the program.
C. Practicum and Traineeship Evaluations
During CSP 755 and 765: Practica and CSP 785: Traineeship, the student and
supervisor meet at least once during the semester for a progress review. The
supervisor provides a written evaluation at the end of the semester. Criteria for
evaluation are derived from objectives set in the Practicum and Traineeship syllabi. For
Traineeship, the agency-based supervisor completes the evaluation, and the University
supervisor provides the grade for the course.
D. Definitions of “Trainee” and “Associate”
A “Trainee”, as defined by the BBS, is a current student who has been accepted
into a qualifying MFT program and has completed a minimum of 12 academic units.
No student may earn clinical hours: (a) prior to the completion of the aforementioned
academic credits, (b) without the oversight and approval of a university supervisor, and
(c) without the formal approval of the MFT Program faculty. The MFT program faculty
committee reviews all students for readiness to begin Practicum prior to scheduling
students for a Practicum team. All students must be enrolled in CSP 755, CSP 765, or
CSP 785 to earn clinical hours of experience. All clinical hours must be officially under
university oversight.
An “Associate” as defined by the BBS refers to a graduate of an MFT program
who is not yet licensed. An MFT graduate must apply for Associate registration status
with the BBS upon graduation. Associate registration status qualified the graduate to
practice in the field as an employee, either in a non-profit or profit setting such as a
13Essential Guide Class 2021
private practice. The Associate may not practice independently.
E. Professional Liability Insurance
Students must take out their own Professional Liability Insurance to enroll in
Practicum (CSP 755 and 765) and Traineeship (CSP 785). Students must join either the
professional organization of the California Association of Marriage and Family
Therapists (CAMFT) or the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
(AAMFT) as Student members. Membership provides eligibility for Professional Liability
Insurance. Student rates for both membership and insurance are available.
Applications for membership in CAMFT and AAMFT are available and Professional
Liability Insurance information is available online. NOTE: Students must complete
these applications prior to beginning any clinical experience.
F. The CSP Center for Community Counseling and Engagement (CCCE)
The CCCE is the department based clinical training site where practicum takes
place and serves as a traineeship site. The facility is located within the SDSU Dede
Alpert Center for Communication Engagement at 4283 El Cajon Boulevard, Suite 215.
The phone number is 619-594-4918. The clinic is equipped with one-way mirrors and a
sound and phone system for communicating between therapy and observation rooms.
This unique facility provides therapy to over 500 individuals, couples, and families a
year. Students are supervised through “live supervision” in their first year when enrolled
in practicum. The Executive Director of CCCE oversees the entire CCCE operation. The
Clinical Director oversees the delivery of clinical services for MFT trainees who have
trainee placements at the CCCE. Graduate Clinic Assistants, enrolled in CSP 785: MFT
Clinic Administration Traineeship, support the running of the clinic by conducting intake
interviews, scheduling appointments, and managing day-to-day operations. The CCCE
functions on a year-round basis. Generally students take Practicum for two consecutive
semesters: fall/spring. (Further details are provided in the Center for Community
Counseling & Engagement Guide).
V. MFT PROGRAM GOVERNANCE
Program Director:
The Program Director works closely with tenured/tenure-track MFT faculty and
full-time lecturers who take primary responsibility for governance of the program. The
Program Director works closely with part-time lecturers, students, and student
representatives to identify and address concerns related to the program issues, student
experience, policies and curriculum.
14Essential Guide Class 2021
The Program Director facilitates monthly meetings with full-time and part-time
faculty with a student representative present from YR1 and YR 2 cohorts who are
members of the Marriage & Family Therapy Association (MFTA).
Director of Clinical Training at CCCE:
The Director of Clinical Training works alongside the Executive Director of CCCE
and the CCCE Administrator to ensure clinical operations at the Center for Counseling
& Engagement (CCCE) are functioning well. The Director of Clinical Training oversees
the clinical operations at the Center for Counseling & Engagement (CCCE) and ensures
a systematic, clear, dependable, and philosophically congruent operation that aligns
with the educational outcomes of the MFT program. The Director of Clinical Training as
a Supervisor Mentor oversees supervisors and their performance to ensure quality
supervision is provided to MFT Trainees who work at CCCE for their traineeship site.
The director works closely with the Executive Director of CCCE and the Administrator of
CCCE to manage the protocols for client access, scheduling, and client satisfaction.
They oversee client intakes, computer software, files, phone calls, referrals, and
communication between members of the student-led Administration Team.
The Director of Clinical Training also oversees the coordination of the instructors
delivering the CSP 755 and CSP 765 practica.
Traineeship Coordinator:
The Traineeship Coordinator oversees the entire CSP 785 Traineeship
sequence. This faculty member sets up new traineeship sites, sets up new Service
Learning Agreements and conducts the Traineeship Agency Fare and ensures that all
CSP 785 instructors are addressing the needs of the trainees completing their CSP 785
traineeship sequence. The Traineeship Coordinator works closely with the instructors to
address any challenges and difficulties arising for trainees that university instructors are
not able to address.
Faculty advisors:
Faculty advisors each oversee an estimated group of 7-8 students from YR 1 and
7-8 students from YR 2 addressing the advising needs of students. Advisors meet at
least once a semester with their advisees usually in a group and on some occasions
one-on-one.
Student Governance:
Students are involved in several levels and facets of governance. We have
student representatives for the YR1 MFT cohort and for the YR 2 MFT cohort and they
participate in monthly meetings with the program director, faculty and part-time
15Essential Guide Class 2021
instructors to share student perspectives on curriculum, student concerns and policy
decision-making.
On an as needed basis the program director and MFT core-faculty meets with
students to receive student feedback as well as encouraging students to raise questions
and concerns. This is a time for meaningful discussion of topics of concern and to list
agenda items that need addressing by faculty. From these meetings concerns are
brought back to the faculty meetings for further discussion and future action. Student
representatives from YR 1 and YR 2 participate and assist with the organization of the
interviews for incoming MFT students on one Saturday in mid February.
The student MFTA club also contributes an ongoing basis to the student
government structure. The MFTA Faculty advisor for the student club keeps in close
contact with the students and their needs. Formal meetings occur between club
members and faculty on an as needed basis. The student club also engages alumni and
builds connections with this community.
VI. PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The MFT program assumes that becoming a family therapist requires personal
self-reflection and growth as well as academic and clinical preparation. Many learning
experiences in the program call upon students to share and reflect upon personal
values, attitudes, experiences, and ways of handling life situations to consider their
effects on professional development. The program does not provide personal therapy.
Students determine the extent of their own self-disclosure and are encouraged to
respect their own privacy.
Being a part of cohort model can be incredibly rewarding. The experience fosters
peer-collaborations, strong social bonds, and provides networking opportunities.
Working in cohorts also means managing multiple relationships and handling delicate
matters with sensitively and thoughtfulness. To maintain professionalism, students who
are in a disagreement should attempt to manage the conflict directly and privately when
possible. This means students should not triangulate other peers in their conflict.
If faculty members identify issues or program participation behaviors that appear
to interfere with professional development, the faculty member(s) will meet with the
student to recommend outside psychotherapy or other helpful intervention (e.g.,
repetition of a course, participation in relevant volunteer work, slowing down one’s
pacing of course enrollment).
When a student professional performance concern occurs, faculty will set in
motion with the student a Professional Performance Review Process. This process is
elaborated upon in great detail in the Professional Performance Review Process section
near the end of this document.
16Essential Guide Class 2021
A. Student progress review
Progress and readiness for the MFT role are reflected in academic,
interpersonal, intercultural and professional judgment performance. Advisors oversee
the evaluation of their advisees four aspects of professional development. Moreover,
annually, all MFT core faculty members review the progress of students that they
advise. The purpose of this progress review is to form an integrative and overall picture
of the student’s development throughout the course of the curriculum. The faculty aims
to support successful development and prevent academic and professional failure. Each
student is assigned an Advisor at the beginning of the program and a small group of
advisees is formed. The advisor monitors student progress periodically on an as needed
basis throughout the year. In the beginning of the Fall and Spring semester the advisor
meets the YR 1 and YR 2 advisee groups. On occasion, individual advisees meets on
an as needed basis with their advisors to reflect on their progress.
B. Personal psychotherapy.
Prior to graduation, all students must engage in an individual, couple, family, or
group therapy experience (should be a counseling group, not a psychoeducational or
didactic or self-help group) with a qualified professional during the program for a total of
12 sessions. Students must complete a total of 12 sessions prior to graduation.
Students have the therapist(s) write a verification of attendance note on their letterhead.
The verification is addressed to the Program Director and must be received by the end
of April (submitted with the audit packet) prior to graduation. Therapy completed prior to
beginning the program may not be used to fulfill this requirement.
The program views this experience as contributing to at least two important aspects of
professional development:
(1) Participation in therapy facilitates empathy development for the client position
in the therapist-client relationship.
(2) Participation in therapy facilitates attending to personal and relational
patterns, which may enhance or detract from successful and appropriate
therapeutic behavior.
C. Ethical Violations.
17Essential Guide Class 2021
1). Adherence to the Laws and Regulations Relating to the Practice of Marriage
and Family Therapy issued by the Board of Behavioral Sciences, the Code of Ethics of
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists, and the Code of Ethics of the
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists is mandatory. Students who
knowingly or unknowingly violate any part of the laws or ethical codes may be
dismissed from the program without further qualification regardless of coursework
completed or other academic achievement. Copies of the Codes of Ethics accompany
this handbook. Some information on the Laws and Regulations is in this handbook.
Also see the BBS website: http://www.bbs.ca.gov.
The display of abusive behaviors that include intimidation, threats, slander and
harassment exhibited to fellow students and faculty are grounds for dismissal. These
behaviors are also breaches against the SDSU Code of Conduct
(http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html) and the AAMFT Code of Ethics (2001, 3.8).
Students also have the right to appeal through the student grievance procedures (See
below).
2). In academia, the issues of plagiarism and cheating are extremely serious
offenses and can result in very severe disciplinary action. The following University policy
is also CSP Department and MFT program policy. All academic institutions have heavy
penalties for these offenses. The SDSU Policy File (May 7, 2002) states that
Plagiarism shall be defined as the act of incorporating ideas, words, or
specific substance of another, whether purchased, borrowed, or otherwise
obtained, and submitting same to the University as one’s own work to fulfill
academic requirements without giving credit to the appropriate source.
Violations of academic integrity are extremely serious offenses and can
result in very severe disciplinary action. Plagiarism shall include but not be
limited to (a) submitting work, either in part or in whole, completed by
another; (b) omitting footnotes for ideas, statements, facts, or conclusions
that belong to another; (c) omitting quotation marks when quoting directly
from another, whether it be a paragraph, sentence, or part thereof; (d)
close and lengthy paraphrasing of the writings of another; (e) submitting
another person’s artistic works, such as musical compositions,
photographs, paintings, drawings, or sculptures; and (f) submitting as
one’s own work papers purchased from research companies.
(http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/senate/policy/pfacademics.html#Cheating)
Students may be dismissed from the program for violations of academic integrity,
such as plagiarism and cheating.
Use of Internet resources must follow the above standards. The APA Publication
manual is the resource for insuring that you are referencing another’s work
18Essential Guide Class 2021
appropriately. If you have any questions about whether behavior qualifies as this type of
violation of the Code of Conduct policy, please do see the website or ask.
D. Student Grievance Procedures and Student Integrity.
The University, CSP Department and the MFT program adhere to procedures
that provide an opportunity for students to address concerns of unfairness to students
as well as faculty concerns about student integrity. Please see the Graduate Bulletin for
University integrity standards and grievance procedures. In addition, students may
seek assistance from the Ombudsman’s Office if they experience unjust treatment or
unprofessional behavior from a professor. Phone: 619-594-6578. Office email:
ombuds@mail.sdsu.edu. Students also can seek assistance from the Center for
Student’s Rights and Responsibilities where disputes occur between fellow students
and students and faculty. Office location: Student Services West, Room 1604, Phone:
(619) 594-3069.
SDSU is a Title IX, equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against
individuals on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual
orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, pregnancy, medical
condition, and covered veteran status.
SDSU policies also affirm the university's moral commitment to the rights of all persons
to equal opportunity in an environment open to free access and expression. San Diego
State University is a community of men and women who are diverse racially, ethnically,
linguistically, culturally, in class background, national origin, religious and political belief,
age, physical ability, and sexual orientation. The campus welcomes this diversity and is
committed to celebrating the richness of ideas, traditions, and understanding that this
diversity brings to its community.
E. Professional identity development.
All students are expected to join the professional organizations of the American
Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the California Association of Marriage
and Family Therapists.
State licensing agency/Professional organizations.
The roles of these organizations are understandably confusing to the entry-level
professional. One important way to develop stronger understanding of the field and the
current professional issues is to join regional and national relevant professional
19Essential Guide Class 2021
organizations. The program faculty members are active in presenting at and attending
professional conferences sponsored by these organizations. Some hold leadership
roles. We look for opportunities to bring our students into these professional arenas. As
an introduction, below are descriptions of the major agencies and professional
organizations related to the MFT field.
1. State licensing: Board of Behavioral Sciences
400 R Street, Suite 3150
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-445-4933
http://www.bbs.ca.gov
This is the state governmental agency to which we are accountable for providing a
license-qualifying program. A division of the State Department of Consumer Affairs, this
agency regulates the practice of MFT, social work, and educational psychologists by
proposing laws and regulations for licensure, evaluating applicants for licensure
eligibility, and enforcing laws and regulations. It is a consumer protection agency and
thereby functions to insure the safe practice of MFT. See the BBS website for complete
information on licensure.
2. Professional organizations
Professional organizations provide a state, regional, or national network for Masters
and/or doctoral level clinicians, educators, and/or researchers in the profession. They
often serve to define standards of competence for the field, accreditation for programs,
lobby for practice rights, advocate for public policy change, provide publications, and
provide workshops and conferences. There are usually specific standards for
membership.
a. American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)
1100 17th Street NW, 10th floor
Washington, D. C. 20026-4601
Executive Director: Tracy Todd 202- 452-0109 http://www.aamft.org
This is the national professional organization for Marriage and Family Therapists
(MFTs) with a 20,000 + membership nationally. AAMFT is equivalent to the American
Psychological Association for psychologists and the National Association of Social Work
for social workers. It functions to define the identity of the Marriage and Family Therapy
discipline, set standards for training and professional identity, and protect the interests
of the practitioner members. Standards are defined through COAMFTE, the program
20Essential Guide Class 2021
accreditation division, and a Standards Division, which defines qualifications for
Student, Associate, and Clinical membership and for obtaining the Approver Supervisor
designation. It also provides a major national conference, a few smaller conferences
annually, and publishes the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, and The Family
Therapy Magazine. Low cost membership and professional liability insurance are
available to students.
E. Data collection.
For accreditation purposes and ongoing program improvement, we will send you
surveys to help us assess our success in meeting educational outcomes and preparing
you for the MFT profession. You will receive an annual survey for current students in the
Spring of each year. Upon completion of the program, you will complete an MFT Exit
exam administered by the college of education. As an alumni, you will receive a survey
on an annual basis asking you information about such things as your job, licensing
process, professional organization involvement, and employer information.
CSP Professional Performance Review Process
(Adapted by the 2008-2010 CSP Professional Performance Committee 2 from
the William and Mary Counseling Program 3 and the SDSU/UCSD Psychology Doctoral Program 4)
Rationale:
In addition to meeting the academic standards set forth in the CSP programs,
2
These policies and procedures were developed by the 2008-2010 CSP Professional
Performance Committee and were adopted by the Department of Counseling and School
Psychology at San Diego State University on April 8, 2010. The CSP Professional Performance
Committee members were: Jan Ewing, Juan Camarena, Colette Ingraham, Beverly Booker,
Maria Senour, and Cindy Corey.
3
The William & Mary program materials were obtained from McAdams III, C., Foster, V., & Ward, T.
(2007). Remediation and Dismissal Policies in Counselor Education: Lessons Learned From a Challenge
in Federal Court. Counselor Education & Supervision, 46(3), 212-229.
4
The SDSU/UCSD program materials were obtained from the Ethical Standards section (pp. 35-
37) of the Student Handbook of the SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology
(2007), San Diego State University Department of Psychology and University of California, San
Diego Department of Psychiatry School of Medicine.
http://www.psychology.sdsu.edu/doctoral/2007_Student_Handbook.pdf
21Essential Guide Class 2021
Students are expected to conduct themselves in an ethical, responsible, professional
manner. It is expected that the students will be knowledgeable of and adhering to the
general standard of professional ethics and practice set forth by your profession and
aligned with SDSU university policies.
As professionals working in community contexts, the faculty expect students to be
concerned about other people, to be stable and psychologically balanced (both personally and
professionally), to be capable of effective interpersonal relationships, to be able to receive
feedback willingly, and to give feedback constructively. Further, the CSP faculty expect
students to be committed to continued personal growth and professional development and to
demonstrate that commitment through self-reflection and responsiveness to supervision in all
activities related to their degree program.
For all reasons stated above, a faculty member will monitor student academic progress as
well as their professional performance in the field. This monitoring process will help to ensure
that all graduates of CSP possess characteristics and competencies that do not interfere with their
professional work. Each program within CSP will decide on when the review will take place and
how it should be utilized. Students will be given the Competency Requirements as part of their
orientation to their program. Each student will read and sign the Competency Requirements to
ensure an understanding of the department’s expectations on Professional Performance.
Professional Performance Standards
The faculty will review the student’s Professional Performance through the lens of eleven
standards (attached). Within each standard is a list of demonstrable competencies which assist
the faculty and students to measure the required standard (attached). The eleven standards
include:
1. Openness to new ideas
2. Flexibility
3. Cooperativeness with others
4. Accepting and using feedback
22Essential Guide Class 2021
5. Awareness of own impact on others
6. Dealing with conflict
7. Accepting personal responsibility
8. Expressing feelings effectively
9. Attention to ethical and legal considerations
10. Initiative and motivation
11. Commitment to human diversity
Each Professional Performance Standard is rated on a scale of 1 (not demonstrated) to 5
(demonstrated clearly). Students receiving a rating below 3 on one or more of the Professional
Performance standards will be considered deficient in professional performance and subject to
the following procedure.
A. Before or when a student concern arises, the concerned faculty member will fill out
the Notification of Concern for Professional Performance Form and meet with the student for
discussion. The student will be presented with the Notification of Concern for Professional
Performance Form (attached), on which will be listed the deficient rating(s), the issuing faculty
member’s explanation for the ratings.
B. A remediation plan will be discussed along with a schedule for implementing the
needed remedial actions and resources necessary. This could be most productive if done in a
collaborative way where the student participates by offering ideas about support and
remediation. This form should be signed at this time by both student and faculty member. Within
two working days of this meeting, the issuing faculty member will provide a copy to the student.
Signatures of both the issuing faculty member and the student will verify their understanding of
the concerns, the required remedial actions, and the schedule for completing them. Both the
student and issuing faculty member will retain copies of the signed Notification of Concern for
Professional Performance Form, and a copy shall be forwarded to the student’s program director
and the student's academic file. When the student has met satisfactory remediation, the student
and faculty member will sign completion line on bottom of form.
23Essential Guide Class 2021
If the student and faculty member cannot reach an acceptable plan, either the faculty
member or the student can request a program level faculty staffing. The student can request a
person (peer, faculty member, etc.) to come with them to the program level faculty meeting. The
Program director will prepare a written summary of the decisions reached at the meeting. When
the student has met satisfactory remediation, the student and attending program faculty members
will sign the completion line on bottom of form.
If the student and program faculty cannot reach an acceptable plan either the faculty or
student may request a Professional Evaluation Panel (PEP) to be formed. To request a PEP, the
chair will be notified by the faculty. The chair will either assign or request participation from the
CSP faculty to join this panel. Three faculty members will make up the PEP. The issuing
faculty, department chair, and faculty members who are closely involved with the student should
not be members of the panel.
* Note: “issuing faculty” refers either to the individual professor who issues the Notification of
Concern for Professional Performance or to the academic advisor if the Notification is issued by
the combined faculty.
C. If a student receives more than one Notification of Concern for Professional
Performance during his/her Program of Study or fails to show reasonable progress in resolving
deficiencies previously cited, they will be required to meet with the issuing faculty and his or her
academic advisor in accordance with the procedure described in #1 above. Depending upon the
nature of new performance concerns and/or the reasons for the student's failure to comply with
previously determined remedial action plans, the issuing faculty will request a Program Level
Review or a PEP level review. For a Program Level Review, the student’s program director will
be contacted. For a PEP level review, the CSP chair will be contacted to form a PEP. The
members of the review panel will either offer alternative remedial strategies and/or make
recommendations about the student's fitness for continuation in the Program. If the program level
faculty or PEP offers new strategies, then an addendum to the Notification of Concern for
Professional Performance will be made and signed by student and the review panel. The review
24Essential Guide Class 2021
panel may recommend discontinuation in the program. This recommendation is reviewed by the
chair for final decision and action.
Faculty members may initiate the Professional Performance Review protocol at any time
for students who knowingly engage in illegal or unethical activities or for students whose
professional performance is deemed to present an immediate threat to the well being of others. In
such cases and depending upon the level of perceived threat, the program faculty may
recommend discontinuation in the Program without opportunity for student remediation.
Professional Performance Standards 5
For Practice and/or Learning Contexts
Department of Counseling and School Psychology, San Diego State University
Student name_________________________________________________ Semester and
Year____________
Rational: In addition to meeting the academic standards set forth in the CSP programs, students
are expected to conduct themselves in an ethical, responsible, professional manner. It is
expected that the students will be knowledgeable of and adhering to the general standard of
professional ethics and practice set forth by your profession and aligned with SDSU university
policies.
As professionals working in community contexts, the faculty expect students to be concerned
about other people, to be stable and psychologically balanced (both personally and
professionally), to be capable of effective interpersonal relationships, to be able to receive
feedback willingly, and to give feedback constructively. Further, the faculty expect students to
be committed to continued personal growth and professional development and to demonstrate
that commitment through self-reflection and responsiveness to supervision in all activities related
to their degree program.
For all reasons stated above, a faculty member will monitor student academic progress as well as
their professional performance in the field. This monitoring process will help to ensure that all
graduates of CSP possess characteristics and competencies that do not interfere with their
professional work. Each program within CSP will decide on when the review will take place and
5
Adapted from McAdams III, C., Foster, V., & Ward, T. (2007). Remediation and Dismissal Policies in
Counselor Education: Lessons Learned From a Challenge in Federal Court. Counselor Education &
Supervision, 46(3), 212-229.
by the 2008-2010 CSP Professional Performance Committee and adopted by the Department of
Counseling and School Psychology at San Diego State University in 2010.
25Essential Guide Class 2021
how it should be utilized. Students will be given the Competency Requirements as part of their
orientation to their program. Each student will read and sign the Competency Requirements to
ensure an understanding of the department’s expectations on Professional Performance.
Directions: There are eleven broad categories of Professional Performance Standards with
specific competencies under each. 1. Please circle statements that apply. 2. Circle a rating # on
the rating line. 3. Write comments and examples below each section. 4. Sign and date the form.
1. Openness to New Ideas
(Rated from Closed [1] to Open [5])
1…………………..……2..………………..…..3…..…………..………4……….……………….5
▪ Dogmatic about own perspective ▪ Was amenable to discussion of ▪ Solicited others’ opinions and
and ideas. perspectives other than own. perspectives about own work.
▪ Ignored or was defensive about ▪ Accepts constructive feedback ▪ Invited constructive feedback, and
constructive feedback. without defensiveness. demonstrated interest in others’
▪ Showed little or no evidence of ▪ Some evidence of effort to perspectives.
incorporating constructive incorporate relevant feedback ▪ Showed strong evidence of
feedback received to change own received to change own behavior. incorporation of feedback received
behavior. to change own behavior.
Comments:__________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
2. Flexibility
(Rated from Inflexible [1] to Flexible [5])
1…………………..……2..………………..…..3…..…………..………4……….……………….5
26Essential Guide Class 2021
▪ Showed little or no effort to ▪ Effort to recognize changing ▪ Showed effort to recognize
recognize changing demands in demands in the professional & changing demands in the
the professional & interpersonal interpersonal environment was professional & interpersonal
environment. evident but sometimes inaccurate. environment.
▪ Showed little or no effort to flex ▪ Efforts to flex own response to ▪ Showed accurate effort to flex
own response to changing new environmental demands was own response to changing
environmental demands. evident but sometimes inaccurate. environmental demands, as
▪ Refused to flex own response to ▪ Flexed own response to changing needed.
changing environmental demands environmental demands when ▪ Independently monitored the
despite knowledge of the need for directed to do so. environment for changing
change. ▪ Accepted necessary changes in demands and flexed own response
▪ Was intolerant of unforeseeable or established schedule or protocol, accordingly.
necessary changes in established but without effort to understand ▪ Attempts to understand needs for
schedule or protocol. the reason for them. change in established schedule or
protocol to avoid resentment.
▪ Accepted necessary changes in
established schedule and
attempted to discover the reasons
for them.
Comments:__________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
27You can also read
